NX Gamer

Saros - NXG Technical Review PS5 vs PS5 Pro

Saros, Housemarque’s latest Unreal Engine 5 shooter, arrives on both the standard PS5 and the new PS5 Pro, prompting a side‑by‑side technical review. The core gameplay—bullet‑hell roguelike action with dense particle effects—remains identical, but the Pro version pushes the image stack higher, using Sony’s PSSR2 upscaler and enhanced DRS settings to render closer to native 4K, while the base console relies on a lower‑resolution render upscaled via temporal AA. The reviewer measured resolution spikes between roughly 1440p and 1620p on the Pro, compared with a 1080p‑to‑4K upscale on the standard PS5. Visual gains include crisper specular edges, reduced ghosting on floating particles, and markedly better shadow and reflection fidelity thanks to a mix of virtual shadow maps, cascaded shadow maps, and SSR. Performance stays locked at 60 fps on both hardware, with the Pro showing only marginally more frame‑time variance (34 drops versus 19 on the base unit) and similar input latency around 100 ms. Specific moments highlighted the Pro’s advantage: fine hair strands, debris density, and volumetric lighting retain detail during frantic combat, while the base PS5 exhibits pixelation and noisy AO. Cutscenes run at 4K 30 fps on both, narrowing the visual gap, but real‑time action still benefits from the Pro’s higher base resolution and more stable temporal sampling. DualSense haptics and audio design receive praise, though the narrative and character work are deemed undercooked. For consumers, the PS5 Pro offers a clear visual upgrade without sacrificing performance, making it attractive to graphics‑enthusiasts. However, the modest gameplay differences and weak story mean the decision hinges on whether visual fidelity alone justifies the Pro’s price premium.